


Through the Blood and Smoke

by Anonymous



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternative Perspective, Gen, Grunt has a Quad, Krogans (Mass Effect), Mass Effect 3, Shepard is Proud of His Tank Bred Son, Utukku (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-29 01:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30148635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Aralakh Company has been sent to investigate a surge in Rachni Activity on the planet Utukku. With Urdnot Grunt as their leader... they are poised to expose this problem once and for all. Of course, the tank bred krogan was not quite expecting Commander John Shepard's arrival to help assist them...
Relationships: Solo: Grunt (Mass Effect)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1
Collections: It's All in the Name (Take #2)





	Through the Blood and Smoke

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Irusu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irusu/gifts).



> This is basically the Attican Traverse: Krogan Team quest in Mass Effect 3, but told from Grunt's perspective. 
> 
> Huge props to both BioWare and Steve Blum for making Grunt such an endearing character! Also the picture is one of my personal screenshots from a recent playthrough.

Grunt and Aralakh Company had chosen to stay behind while Shepard, Garrus and a new yet bizarre companion with four yellow eyes and red armor had continued on down the path to find the central chamber.

Even more bewildering was when this new companion started muttering gibberish about sensing all sorts of things from his old room on the Normandy. To Grunt, it was just another space that restricted both his movement and his ever growing rage until his Rite of Passage had been completed with Shepard at his side.

“Ask me later,” was all the Commander was able to tell him about this strange new associate… for now.

The young krogan did miss the old crew, though... as much as he hated to admit it. He’d especially forged special bonds with Jack, Zaeed, Garrus, and most surprisingly Thane over the months they were aboard the Normandy. While he was glad to return to Tuchanka after the Collector base was destroyed, it wasn’t the same.

Those elated feelings returned, though, as soon as Garrus and his Battlemaster stepped off that shuttle and walked over. “Just like old times” the turian had said which caused the tank bred krogan to grin wide and bellow out his signature laugh in reply.

This was going to be an epic battle, and Aralakh Company was more than up for the task. All they had to do was keep the reaper-enhanced insectoids from gaining any further territory in these damned tunnels.

An almost deafening sound broke Grunt’s train of thought as it could not only be heard but also felt in all directions. Blue eyes squinted into near slits as both hands briskly cocked his shotgun. A finger then came up to his earpiece to tap into the Commander’s own audio feed.

“Shepard. We're getting movement here. A lot of movement...” he announced to his Battlemaster on the other end. He then backed up as the whole squad could already sense the plethora of abominable critters wriggling in the shadows all around them.

“Copy that, Grunt,” came the Commander’s tenor response before he continued on speaking with someone… or something else. “Are you capable of fighting the Reapers?”

The answer to John’s question resonated through what could only be described as a unified chorus of krogan voices that caused even someone as resilient as Grunt to feel uneasy with what he heard. “We hate the machines. We will fight for our unborn children. Release us!”

We? What in the galaxy did they find down there?

It was then that he heard Garrus’ voice off in the background, “She's badly wounded. She needs too much time to escape!”

She? There was a QUEEN down there? Great. Just great. The tank bred krogan emitted a noise from his chest that could only be described as annoyance. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time to dwell on that thought as a few of his fellow krogan began shooting upwards at some swarmers began crawling down from the ceiling above.

Soon after, one of the other krogan spied one of the larger ravagers and rolled out of the way before he got blasted right in the face. That first bug apparently had friends, too. Without warning three more scuttled into view with the rest of the squad promptly taking action to stop them.

They needed to get the hell out of here… and fast.

Grunt shifted backwards up until his hump smacked up against a nearby wall and quickly raised a finger once more to his ear. “Shepard! We're out of time!” He stomped one of the bugs that had reached his left foot and then shot another one attempting to slither along the wall next to him. “We stay here, Aralakh Company dies. Is that clear?”

“Listen up!” Shepard soon piped through into Grunt’s ear. “Aralakh Company needs to hold the rachni off while the Queen escapes. We’ll buy you some time.”

The problem was that Aralakh Company was already accomplishing that very thing. Every krogan under Grunt’s command was now fully engaged fighting at least two or more bugs all at once. It was only a matter of time before they’d be overwhelmed by these disgusting things. Still… the sight did cause Grunt’s chest to surge with pride… at least until he once again heard the Commander’s voice.

“Grunt! Fall back to our position and lead us out!”

Following another exasperated snort, the young krogan finally answered, “Damn you, Shepard!” Blue eyes darted around one last time to ensure that the others would be fine and then pushed himself off the wall. “I'm leaving my team. On my way!”

With shotgun firmly in hand, Grunt yelled towards his squad to make their way out back out and then tore off down the same path he’d seen his Battlemaster and fellow companions head down only a few minutes prior. With the bugs now following his fellow krogan, he managed to sprint through the caves without much trouble.

At least it seemed that way until he nearly ran straight into an array of Reaper walls blocking his path. The loud echo of a weapon bellowed throughout the entire cavern beyond with an intense screech from the Queen heard soon after.

“Now get us out of here!” Shepard barked from the other side of these damnable barriers.

Grunt rapidly glanced all around the confined space he was in before finally spying a small wall of exposed rock just off to his left. With a sadistic grin, the barrel of his shotgun perched up right against the shallow wall and a finger tugged firmly upon the trigger.

The subsequent explosion and sight of the tank bred krogan appearing on the other side of it caused Shepard, Garrus and Javik to immediately turn in that direction with a trio of nearly matching shocked expressions. Grunt tugged his weapon up to his shoulder with a satisfied smirk before nodding off to the right for the others to follow.

The four of them dashed off while the Queen was able climb up and escape through another tunnel. A few of the smaller bugs made a vain attempt to block their path… only to be gunned down by the young krogan’s weapon which caused him to laugh gleefully in response to the bug carcasses left behind as they fled.

It wasn’t too long before the four soldiers arrived at a fork in their path, to which the Commander motioned silently for the others to wait and carefully peeked around the corner just off to the left. Multiple hisses from several ravagers then caused the man to turn back around and offer the others a quiet yet determined look with an assault rifle lifting to tap his shoulder.

While Shepard would always be his Battlemaster, Grunt couldn’t help but feel a sense of duty to grant the trio a chance to escape. John Shepard had to survive. He just had to. The whole galaxy was at stake and the young krogan knew more than most that this man… this larger than life man was their only hope.

“The shuttle's down that path!” Grunt finally announced while nodding off to their right. “I'll hold them off,” he concluded while pulling his shotgun up in both hands.

John’s blue eyes seemed to soften as he offered Grunt an almost pleading look to not do what he was clearly thinking of doing.

“Get outta here, Shepard!” he barked back before the Commander could even follow that look with any words of discouragement.

Shepard then shot a quick glance to both the turian and prothean before a hand rose up to touch the krogan’s shoulder. The smile on the man’s face was gentle, yet his eyes were stern as a hushed understanding seemed to pass between the two. Finally the hand fell away and he sped off with comrades in tow down the right passageway.

It was then that Grunt spun around the corner with a gleeful smile as he eyed the many insectoid opponents already gathering along the other end of the tunnel. “My turn… Heh heh heh.” Strong legs then took off at a sprint as the conviction of ten krogan took over his entire body.

The time had finally come to show these bastards exactly what warlord Okeer had bred him for…

\----------------------------


End file.
